As SVP International Fiction – Coproduction & Acquisition, Simone Emmelius is responsible for the ZDF company with its entities ZDF main channel, ZDFneo (entertainment channel for a younger target audience 25-50 years), 3sat (cultural channel, target audience German speaking territories), arte (cultural channel, target audience Germany and France), and funk (nonlinear program offer, target audience 14-29 years).
Until May 2018, she was SVP ZDFneo, responsible for one of the top 10 channels in Germany, basically focussed on drama, crime, and comedy series, feature films and on entertainment programs (e.g. “neoMagazin Royale” / Jan Böhmermann).
From 1987 to 2009, Simone Emmelius was in charge of various functions for the strategic development of the upcoming digital market activities of ZDF, setting up digital channels and initial interactive programs.
After her studies of literature, economy and film in Mainz and Konstanz (degrees: M.A. and Dr. phil.) accompanied by several freelance contracts for ZDF, SWR, Südkurier and FAZ, she started her career in ZDF as a trainee, and later on as an editor in the Social Affairs Department.